New Horizons
by SpecMode
Summary: The long awaited Stateside launch of the internationally acclaimed hit Angelic Layer gives a shy, lonely high school student a way to express himself and interact with others that he never before thought possible. Feedback requested - see profile!
1. 01: Jonathan

New day... but still the same old routine.

Change rarely came in the life of fifteen-year-old Jonathan Blake. Every morning he instinctively awoke at almost exactly 6:30; he hardly needed his alarm clock anymore. He always left the house for school at just after seven, the exact time seldom varying by more than a few minutes from day to day. So predictable was his daily schedule that he could tell you, down to the minute, what he would be doing and where at any given time of the day. He walked the same route to school every day; if you were to follow him for a week you would probably never see him stray more than a few inches from the path he walked the day before. This sort of monotony is a key staple in young Jonathan's existence, as we will continue to learn.

Another aspect of his personality becomes apparent, as we continue to observe his carefully-paced walk to school. As people pass by, some wave to Jonathan, while others say "Good morning," or other such greetings. Most of the time, Jonathan will simply look at the ground and pass by without responding; on rare occasions, he may manage a smile and a tentative wave before quickly turning away and walking past. A more telling example would be to take in a somewhat broader view of, say, his school lifestyle. Jonathan has always shown himself to be exceptionally brilliant, easily one of the best performers in his class. That being said, however, he tended to keep mostly to himself, never joining any clubs or playing sports. He was never among the "popular" kids in school, though as far as he was concerned, that was just fine with him. Jonathan simply wasn't interested in being "part of the crowd", and made every effort to stay out from under the spotlights, doing as little as possible to attract attention to himself.

With his belief that nothing would ever change so deeply entrenched in his mind, he would never have believed that _everything _ was about to change...

* * *

The day passed as they always did, and soon enough Jonathan was walking home. He had made it nearly a third of the way when he noticed that something was different. He slowed, glancing around and wondering what exactly was bothering him; soon enough, he realized it: there were no other students walking along the streets with him. Usually, there were a fair number of students walking or riding home from school at about this time, but today the sidewalks were virtually deserted. He continued along the concrete path, wondering where everyone could have gone. He hadn't been paying much attention to popular events lately - not that he ever did, but occasionally he would find something interesting to do if he was particularly bored - and he couldn't quite remember any of his classmates mentioning that there was anything big going on today... 

_Oh... It must be that new game that Lee was talking about during English. _ Steven Lee, a junior at Jonathan's school, was a gaming fanatic; _it's a wonder, _ Jonathan thought, _that he does so well in class when most of his attention seems to be focused on video games. If there were anyone who would know about a popular game being released, it would be him... _ Jonathan actually stopped, completely losing his focus. His attention was captured by a television behind the window of a shop alongside the street... or rather, by what was being displayed on it. Usually, he would have noted it and moved on, but something caught his interest.

In the center of the screen, on a surface of what looked like some kind of illuminated glass, a pair of figures were engaged in a fierce battle. One of the combatants, garbed in blue and white and sporting a futuristic-looking headset and visor, traded lightning-quick punches and kicks with a girl clad in red and white. Both looked incredibly life-like, Jonathan noted, each moving smoothly as they fought; he could see, upon closer inspection, that each of the fighters had a pair of odd cord-like strings that trailed and swung around them as they moved. After a few seconds, the camera zoomed out... and Jonathan blinked in surprise as the shot panned out to show a large arena-like setting around the battleground, and a simply _huge _ audience watching and cheering. The view shifted to show a second view of the battle, which Jonathan could now see was taking place on a large, circular field in the center of the arena. And at opposite edges of the table, he saw a pair of large silver chairs, in which sat two young people a boy in one, a girl in the other each wearing what looked like a headset of some sort with a transparent visor, each focusing on the battle in front of them. When the camera shifted views yet again, he finally got a glimpse of the scale of the battle: each of the figures was only a foot tall! He looked even closer; it looked far too realistic to be computer animated. The battle seemed to be coming to a close, as the two figures facing each other from a respectable distance for a few moments before simultaneously charging at each other full-tilt, the blue-white one aiming a powerful punch while the red-white one took to the air in a devastating kick. Both blows landed at the same time; both combatants seemed to freeze momentarily, before the blue and white fighter fell to the ground. The crowd roared in the background, as a closing message flashed onto the screen:

_Don't miss the United States debut of Angelic Layer, the phenomenon that has taken the world by storm!_

_Customizable Angels and accessories available today at most major electronics and gaming retailers!_

It took Jonathan a full five seconds to remember that he had been walking home. _That... was _awesome! His mind whirled as he thought about the technology that had to go into making a game like that work. _I couldn't see any cables or wires connecting them to anything... I couldn't even see any controllers, keyboards, or anything like that, either! _ He quickened his pace somewhat, in a hurry to get home. Intrigued by what he had seen, Jonathan wanted to learn more about it. And maybe - just maybe - he would try it out for himself.

* * *

_Author's Notes: _ This was just an idea that popped into my head one day, possibly the product of a strange obsession, and more than a little boredom (spending over 200 days at sea will do that to you). This is a bit short, but it should be enough to get the ball rolling I've got good things planned for this one; all it needs is time, effort, and more than a little stubborn determination. If you've taken the time to read this far, thank you; I'll do my best to make this story worth reading. 

Angelic Layer is a creation of CLAMP, not me (obviously). Any characters and/or settings from the anime and/or manga are also their creations. Characters featured in New Horizons (other than "canon" characters from the anime and manga) are my creations, and are not to be used in any other works without my prior consent. All rights reserved, whatever those are. Why are you still here? Go read some more fanfiction!


	2. 02: First Glimpses

Instead of going directly back to his house, Jonathan (after a rare moment of indecision) decided that he wanted to find out firsthand what 'Angelic Layer' was all about. As he waited at a nearby bus stop, he glanced around, and happened to spot an Angelic Layer promotional poster on a newspaper stand. A few seconds later he noticed, for the first time, the billboard next to the freeway opposite the row of houses across the street...also displaying an Angelic Layer promo.

_Wow. _ Jonathan was impressed. _Whoever makes this game spent a _lot _of money on this advertising campaign. Angelic Layer must have really been popular, wherever it came from, to get a launch this big in the States... _ The bus pulled up, interrupting his train of thought; he climbed aboard, paid the usual fare, and took a seat near the back. As the bus pulled away from the stop and accelerated down the street, he peered out the window and watched the houses pass by. As he had noted earlier, there were hardly any children out and about on the sidewalks this afternoon; also, he continued to spot various forms of Angelic Layer advertising here and there, making him wonder how he had managed to completely miss them until today. _Of course I know why_, he mused. _It's because I hardly talk to anyone other than my mother and Steven, I hardly watch TV, play video games, or read magazines, and I don't 'hang out' with all the people who _do.

Again his thoughts were cut short, as he noticed (almost too late) that the bus had stopped in front of the local Fry's Electronics store. Jonathan jumped out of his seat, and slipped through the door just before the driver reached over to close it. As the bus pulled away behind him, Jonathan gazed down across the parking lot...and let out a surprised whistle.

In front of the main entrance to the electronics superstore, with the decidedly unique Angelic Layer logo emblazoned on their sides, no fewer than a half-dozen full-sized trailers were lined up end-to-end alongside the sidewalk, with dozens of store employees and security guards scurrying to and fro, unloading large boxes of merchandise and keeping the area clear of curious onlookers. And there were a _lot _ of them: mostly school-age kids, but there was a strong contingent of what looked like college students, and a fair number of adults as well - though some of those could well be parents to some of the younger members of the crowd, Jonathan realized. In any case, his assumption had been correct: the majority of his classmates were going to be either here, or at any of the various electronics stores in the area for the big launch. In any case, he wasn't going to learn anything standing this far away, so he slung his backpack around, and made his way down the sidewalk towards the crowd.

Despite the size of the crowd, Jonathan had a surprisingly easy time making his way into the store proper. Once inside, he had no trouble spotting the Angelic Layer display - though you would likely have to be blind and deaf to miss it, given the grandeur of the spectacle. Packaged merchandise stacked six feet high stood in a cordoned-off area halfway across the store from the entrance; the entire area seemed to have been re-arranged, Jonathan noted, specifically for the event. As he neared the display, he caught sight of a slightly smaller version of the table-like battleground he had seen in the TV commercial, with two large, comfortable-looking chairs positioned at opposite sides. As he approached, a security guard posted inside the display area started moving in his general direction, as if to keep him from trying to sneak inside; Jonathan paid him little mind, as he stopped near the boundary rope and looked inside.

There was an impressive array of different packages stacked about, some on shelves, while others stood in pyramid-like towers encircling the central table. One of the stacks quickly caught his attention, one with the largest packages in the display. Jonathan circled around to try to get a closer look; the security guard kept an eye on him, but remained where he was.

From a closer vantage point, Jonathan tried to read the printing on the boxes - still a difficult task, as he was still a fair distance away. _'Angelic Layer Starter Kit'...and is that...an egg? _ He blinked in surprise, then looked again. _"This Starter Kit provides the essential tools you'll need to create your own, customizable Angel! Choose from a powerful heavyweight, lightning-quick speed-type, or a well-rounded balance of speed and strength to match your fighting style! Use your imagination and an incredible selection of accessories to make your Angel unique, and apply your skills and reflexes in the official Angelic Layer tournament circuit!" _

_Official tournaments, huh? _ Jonathan thought about that a bit. _I guess that's what the fight on the TV must have been - a tournament match. I wonder if they'll have a tournament around here... _

"Can I help you with something?"

Jonathan nearly fell over in surprise. He quickly turned - and found himself facing a tall, odd-looking man wearing glasses and what looked like...a lab coat?

"Ah...umm...well..." Jonathan stammered, still recovering. "N-not really..."

"Well," replied the stranger, "if you come up with something, don't hesitate to ask. The show starts in about twenty minutes, so if there's anything else you need to get, you had best go now, because you won't want to miss this!" The man grinned, then stepped past Jonathan into the roped-off display and vanished behind a stack of boxes.

_Weird, _ Jonathan thought to himself. Deciding that he wanted something to drink, he headed in the direction of the snack bar. He hadn't made it ten steps before he was nearly bowled over by a young man in a dark blue suit, carrying a plastic cup containing...well, Jonathan couldn't quite tell _what _ it contained, except that it was a decidedly odd shade of grey-green.

"Sorry!" the young man called out as he dodged, barely missing Jonathan. He sprinted in the direction of the Angelic Layer display as Jonathan and several other bewildered customers stared after him. Jonathan shook his head in bemusement, and continued toward the snack bar. _If this is any indication, _ he quipped to himself, _this is going to be _quite _ a show, indeed..._

_

* * *

_

_Author's Notes: _ Note that for the purposes of this story, the central location for Angelic Layer will not be at a Piffle Princess; rather, I decided to stick with a more 'realistic' scenario, in which products would be offered at several different stores as opposed to one central location.

I am also taking liberties with certain 'canon' AL characters; namely, so far as this story is concerned, most of said characters have at least a functional grasp of the English language (otherwise, as will become more important in future chapters, 'canon' characters would be completely unable to communicate with their foreign counterparts without the use of an interpreter...which I personally feel would detract from the overall feel of the story).

That all being said and done, I hope you're continuing to enjoy New Horizons, and I promise to try not to disappoint my few (but loyal) readers in the future. Arigatou!


	3. 03: Entranced

When Jonathan returned to the roped-off Angelic Layer display about ten minutes later, a sizable crowd was already milling about, eagerly awaiting the demonstration and the chance to be the first to get their own Angels. He could see the man in the white lab coat setting up the table in the center, plugging in cables and inspecting components...and occasionally, admonishing his assistant for any reason he could think of. _He seems to be the one running the show here, _ Jonathan noted. Indeed, the store employees and other technicians seemed to defer to him, as he walked from place to place making sure everything was ready to go.

After another few minutes of waiting, Jonathan noticed the appearance of a new pair inside the display. The two - a teenage boy and a much younger girl - each carried a small, doll-like figure in their arms. The girl's had long, black hair and wore an ornate purple and black costume with a large red bow; the boy's, a simpler outfit of white and blue, with a futuristic-looking headset with a visor and antenna. Both greeted the man in the lab coat, who steered them towards the center table. _A battle! _ Jonathan realized. _Of course... what better way is there to introduce the game than by showing how it is played? _

Jonathan and the rest of the crowd watched intently as each player walked towards one of the chairs at each end of the table. As the two reached their respective seats, they set their Angels down on the edge of the playing field, and lifted what looked like a high-tech headset from the seat of their chair. After a quick inspection, each donned their headset, picked up their Angel, and eased into their seat. The two then gave the tall man a thumbs-up, which he acknowledged with a nod. He turned and gave a similar 'go-ahead' nodding gesture to the store manager, who was standing at a microphone at the front of the display. The murmuring of the crowd quieted noticeably in anticipation.

"Ladies and gentlemen," the manager began... but had no chance to continue as an enthusiastic round of applause completely drowned out his voice. He gave the cheering a few seconds to die out before continuing. "I would like to welcome you all to Fry's today, for the grand debut of what has quickly become the single most highly-anticipated gaming technology in American history. Before we start, please welcome our honored guests who traveled all the way from Japan to conduct a _live _ demonstration of Angelic Layer's advanced technology!"

The cheering that erupted from the crowd was loud enough to make Jonathan's ears ring. From his vantage point, he could see the players on each side of the playing field, waiting for the battle to start. At a signal from the man in the lab coat, they reached up and touched a small control on the right side of their headsets; each one's visor, which Jonathan guessed was likely some sort of heads-up display, immediately lit up. A sudden flash of light from the table/playing field made Jonathan and several others jump in surprise; a shimmering glow in the air directly above the surface seemed to momentarily define the edge of the playing field, before quickly fading to nothing. The surface of the table now glowed a brilliant white, as had the one Jonathan had seen in the TV commercial. Simultaneously, the opposing players lifted their Angels, and launched them headfirst into the air over the table. _What the...? _ Jonathan wondered, but caught his breath at what he saw next.

Both of the Angels twisted in mid-air, as if they had suddenly come alive. The blue and white Angel landed gracefully on his feet, while his opponent performed a complex midair spin, using her hands to spring back into a calm, poised stance. Jonathan looked closely... and drew in a surprised breath. _That blue one... it's the same one from the TV commercial! _

"And now, I would like to introduce a very special guest who will go into far more detail about Angelic Layer's underlying technological wizardry: none other than the founder of Angelic Layer himself, Ichirou Mihara!"

With that, the manager handed the microphone over... to the man in the white lab coat, who accepted it with a courteous smile. Wasting no time, he took a deep breath, and began.

"Angelic Layer merges the latest in high technology with the latest in scientific and medical research to create the most advanced player interface ever - no controllers are needed to play!"

The two Angels leapt at each other, tiny feet and fists already blurring through the air as they engaged in close combat.

"Using sophisticated sensors contained in the headset, a player - or in Angelic Layer lingo, a _Deus _ - can control his or her Angel using only their thoughts, an adaptation of the same ultra-modern technology used by doctors to create the latest generation of computerized, fully-functional prosthetics. Within the Layer," the announcer gestured towards the glowing table, "an Angel will move precisely as it's Deus wills it to, allowing for an unrivalled level of precision control."

On the 'Layer' the battle continued, both Angels moving with lightning speed but neither with any obvious advantage other the other. Jonathan could hardly keep up; the two were dodging, lunging, and leaping so fast that he couldn't tell if either one was actually _hitting _ each other.

"An Angel is constructed of an extremely tough outer shell, housing a nearly shock-proof array of microchip-controlled, low-power motors that allow the Angel to move with surprising agility, as you can see for yourself. A Deus can, with enough practice, skill, and ingenuity, execute truly unique and powerful techniques to make their Angel stand out. The Angelic Layer battle system allows for a nearly limitless variety of combat styles, so you can try out those martial-arts skills you see in the movies...or even develop your own! The only limit is your imagination!"

The purple and black Angel, now little more than a blur, finally caught her opponent off-guard, connecting with a solid kick to the chest that sent the blue Angel sliding back. Recovering quickly, the Angel stood fast, waiting for his assailant's inevitable follow-up attack. Sure enough, she leapt into the air, coming down feet-first like a missile. Without warning, there was a bright flash in the air around the standing Angel, and his opponent was suddenly sent flying back by an unseen force. Jonathan blinked in surprise, wondering if he had somehow missed something. _He didn't even _move _... what _was _ that! _

"And last but certainly not least, as you can see all around here, there is a full line of Angelic Layer accessories available here, which will allow you to make your Angel distinctly yours. Choose from different styles of headgear, bodysuits, carrying cases, and even a miniature practice Layer, complete with headset!"

The blue Angel was already back in motion, making a beeline for the spot where his opponent was about to land. Black hair streaming through the air, the Angel twisted about, as if to manage better than a crash landing; she landed on both hands, her adversary almost within striking range. In about the time than it took Jonathan to blink, she swept her legs through the space between her arms and executed a perfect backflip, delivering a smashing kick to the chin of her opponent in the process and sending him flying completely out of the Layer and into the hands of his Deus, a luminescent ripple-effect marking his exit point.

There was a deafening round of applause as the victor stood and bowed respectfully toward the crowd. Her Angel mimicked the gesture, before turning and leaping out of the Layer herself, landing in her Deus' arms, generating yet another round of cheering. The game's founder handed the microphone back over to the store manager, and walked over to the Layer.

"Ladies and gentlemen, Deus Hatoko Kobayashi, and her Angel Suzuka narrowly defeat their opponents, Deus Ohjiro Mihara and Angel Wizard! Let's give them both another round of applause for a spectacular match!"

Once again, the manager waited for the noise to settle down before speaking again. "Well, this is the moment I'm sure you've all been waiting for, and I know I have too. Without further ado, I would like to officially welcome all of you to the world of Angelic Layer!"

With those words, the ropes surrounding the area were taken down, and with the loudest applause yet, and with security guards as traffic control, the crowd slowly but surely made their way through the display, Jonathan in their midst.

* * *

Backpack over his shoulders, and with two bags full of various-sized boxes in each hand, Jonathan stepped off the bus just down the street from his house. _It's already getting dark out here, _ he noted as he walked down the sidewalk. _How long was I in line for? _ As he had half expected, the check-out line at Fry's had been horrendous, weaving past the magazines and computer games, and ending somewhere past the snack bar. _At least I was one of the first ones out_, he remarked to himself. _I'd probably _still _be there if I'd taken much longer. _

Using his key, he unlocked the front door and stepped into his house to the smell of dinner. _Uh oh, _ he thought. _I hope I'm not late... _

"Oh, is that you, Jonathan?" his mother asked from the kitchen. "I was wondering where you were. I'm just about done with dinner; we're having stir-fry tonight."

"Mmm, hmm," Jonathan mmm-hmm'd appreciatively. He had eaten a light lunch, and nothing since. "I'll be there in a few minutes!"

He made a beeline for his room, and closed the door. He tossed his backpack aside, and emptied the packages from the bag one-by-one.

"Let's see," he said to no one in particular. "One Starter Kit, a bunch of different bodysuits, three Angel-sized headsets, and a basic carrying case. This should be enough to start with."

"Jonathan, time for dinner!" his mother called from the dining room.

"Coming!" Leaving the packages on his desk for now, Jonathan went hurriedly out the door. He eagerly looked forward to creating his own Angel... but he was starving, and food came first. He looked over his shoulder before closing the door behind him, at the egg showing through the Starter Kit's box.

_An Angel in an egg, _ he mused. _What'll they think of next?_

_

* * *

_

_Author's Notes: _ Oi. Two parts in the space of little more than a day. And hopefully, I won't have to upload, edit, and re-upload _this _ one like I did part 2 (I think I uploaded about 10 different revisions of that before I got those stupid punctuation marks to show right. I still have no idea how I managed to do that in the first place...)

In any case, thanks for being patient with me, I'm working to make this the best AL fanfic ever written (or, failing that, at least one I can say was worth the effort to write ). Keep on reading, and if you like it, please feel free to give me your comments in the reviews section!


	4. 04: Creation

"Now then," Jonathan murmured to himself. "Where do I start?"

The various packages of Angelic Layer merchandise were scattered across his bed and desk, still unopened. Going with the obvious choice, he went over to the desk and lifted the Starter Kit box. He turned it over and around, skimming through the informative text and disclaimers on the back. He opened a drawer in his desk and took out his knife, which he used to break the plastic seal that kept the box closed. Setting down the knife, he opened the box and carefully withdrew the plastic-enclosed contents: a large, transparent plastic egg with the dull silver, basic Angel template within; a printed user manual; a DVD-ROM with a PC version of the Angelic Layer setup and maintenance software; and the disassembled Angel-to-PC interface unit, with high-speed USB and FireWire connections. Jonathan had seen a dedicated Angelic Layer minicomputer elsewhere in the display at the store, but since he already had his own computer, he opted to save his money.

Following the instructions in the manual, Jonathan carried the egg to the bathroom. Holding the container over the bathtub, he undid the latch and slowly cracked the top open to drain the shock-absorbant fluid. He turned the water on for a few seconds to flush the last of the fluid down the drain, then returned to the manual, which he had left open on the counter. He wiped the Angel down with a damp cloth, and returned to his room. He set the Angel on his desk, then turned to the rest of the equipment. He hit the power button on his PC and reviewed the next few steps in the manual.

"Install the Angelic Layer interface and driver software onto your computer from the DVD provided before connecting it to the Angel-to-PC interface. The interface unit will not function correctly until all software is properly installed." _Well, no kidding, _ Jonathan thought. "Assemble the interface unit as shown in the following diagrams..."

Jonathan carefully unwrapped the remaining contents of the Starter Kit, and laid them out on the desk. "Place the interface unit base on a flat, level surface. Do not connect the PC interface cable until instructed to do so." _How many times is it going to tell me that? _ Jonathan wondered. "Place the two circular rings on top of the base unit, and center them as shown above." He glanced across the assorted items on his desktop, located a pair of shiny metal rings, and set them atop each other as instructed. "Connect the power adapter to the interface unit, and then plug it into a matching electrical outlet."

Jonathan made sure the plug was tightly inserted into the interface base unit, and plugged the other end into the surge protector on the back of the desk. "Next up...ah, finally we get to the fun part." He picked up the DVD case and turned back to the computer. He opened the case and pulled out...pulled... _tried _ to pull out the DVD, but as per his usual luck, the retaining clips were working _too _ well. It took Jonathan a full fifteen seconds to remove the disc from the case without snapping it. (He had no desire to to through _that _ again...)

Once he loaded the disc into his computer's drive, the installation program loaded automatically without incident. The process went fairly smoothly; Jonathan was fairly proficient with computers of nearly any kind, one of his few true interests. Finally, he unwound the PC interface cable. After connecting the appropriate end to the base unit, Jonathan plugged the USB end into an open port on the front of his PC. He glanced back at the manual, which he had been neglecting. "After installation of the appropriate drivers and interface software, the Angel-to-PC interface unit may be connected to your PC using the supplied cable, which supports either a FireWire or high-speed USB connection. The software is configured to automatically launch the interface program when the base unit is connected...huh?" A sudden light out of the corner of his eye drew his attention back to the other side of the desk...and he let out a small, surprised whistle.

The Angel interface unit's twin rings were floating in mid-air above the base, the upper ring nearly a foot above the lower ring; the air shimmered with a bright amber light between them. _Wow, _ Jonathan thought. That's _ something you don't see every day. _ Returning his gaze to the screen, he waited as the Angelic Layer software executed. The first screen to appear was a simple menu. Jonathan clicked the 'Create an Angel' button, and waited. The next screen displayed the first step, accompanied by a short animation. "Place your new Angel into the interface unit through the center of the top ring as shown below..."

As the animated diagram detailed, Jonathan carefully lowered the silvery-hued Angel through the floating ring. When he released it, the figure lightly floated down, bobbing once in the shimmering glow before hovering in midair. _It's probably some sort of electromagnetic field, _ Jonathan guessed. The program gave off a series of beeps as it detected the Angel and established a connection. The screen cleared, replaced with a short informational text.

"During this step, you will be able to customize your Angel's size and type by selecting from six parameters: height, weight, offensive and defensive power, speed, and physical strength. Each of these parameters can be set to a value from 1 to 10; a total of 30 points are available for you to distribute in this manner. This screen will also allow you to select a 'male' or 'female' build type as well as skin tone and hair coloring. The 'preview' image in the center of the screen will display what your Angel will look like, based on your selected parameters. When you have completed your selections, select the 'Next' option to continue." Jonathan clicked the mouse, and considered his options.

_What kind of Angel do I want? Something big and strong...or one that's smaller but faster? _ He mentally debated the advantages of each type; in keeping with his nature, he rarely made a decision without carefully considering all available options. _A stronger Angel would do more damage per hit, but would be easier to hit itself; a smaller, faster Angel would be able to run circles around a heavyweight, but wouldn't be able to damage one much per hit. I _could _ use a balanced Angel, but that probably wouldn't be as much fun... _ It was actually several minutes later that he finally made up his mind.

_Let's see, how about this... _ With a brisk series of mouse-clicks, he changed nearly every parameter in seconds. _I think speed will be more important than sheer power, so I think an '8' will do fine there; a '3' in height and weight will make it a bit harder to catch. Offense is the key along with speed, so we'll make that an '8' as well, while defense will have to suffer a bit. Hrm... _ He made one last change, using another point from defensive power to bump physical strength up a notch. _There...now the last touches; 'male' build, and jet-black hair. Now, then... _ He clicked 'Next', reviewed the selections on the confirmation screen, and clicked the button to begin the creation process.

As he did so, a low-pitched hum emanated from the Angel's interface unit, accompanied by a bright disc-like light that moved slowly upward through the glowing field. As the light contacted the Angel's smooth surface, its appearance _changed _ as Jonathan watched, the silvery grey becoming more like a slightly tanned skin. About twenty seconds later, the process was complete; suspended within the lit field was a human-like figure with shoulder-length black hair, joints still thinly visible. _My Angel_, Jonathan thought to himself in half wonder, half bemusement. A thought occurred to him at that moment; _ I wonder what my mother would say if she came in here and saw me playing with a doll... _ For some reason, the idea struck him as strangely amusing, causing him to chuckle for a few seconds. A low, insistent series of beeps from the computer brought him back to his senses, and he turned back towards the monitor.

"As the final step in the creation process, you will now name your Angel. The name you select is permanently imprinted into special read-only memory within the Angel's hardware, which is used by Angelic Layer computer systems to identify the Angel as your own."

Jonathan had already picked out his Angel's name; he had decided to use the same name he already used as an alias in computer games and message boards online. With a few blurred keystrokes he typed it into the empty box and hit the Enter key. Another confirmation box popped up; he cliicked it away, and one final screen replaced it, informing him that the creation process was complete and welcoming him to the world of Angelic Layer. The interface unit went into standby, the upper ring retracting to rest atop the lower ring; Jonathan retrieved his Angel and placed it in a sitting position at the edge of his desk, and sat for a few moments admiring his handiwork.

_Hmm...I guess that was the easy part, wasn't it? _ He let out a small sigh. _At least I'm not the only one just getting started with this, _ he reasoned. _If this were an ordinary game, I probably wouldn't stand a chance. _ Jonathan wasn't particularly good at computer or video games; he had exceptional vision and reflexes, but as he didn't play very often he lacked the skill most dedicated players possessed. With Angelic Layer, however, he at least stood on a level playing field. _Everyone else will be learning how it works just like I am. I'll practice, every day if I have to. _ He looked at his Angel with a determined glint in his eye, a competitive spirit he couldn't remember ever having possessed welling up inside him. "You and I...we'll show everyone how strong we are..."

"...Nova..."

* * *

_Author's Notes: _ Yes, I know this one took forever. I could be a bit happier with the last paragraph, but I think it'll do. In any case, it's _done _. Please read, review if you think it is worth your time, and offer any suggestions/corrections/comments as you see fit. I hope you all had an enjoyable holiday season, and I'm looking forward to a productive 2004! 


	5. 05: Learning Curve

_ What a day_, Jonathan reflected, lightly massaging his temples as the crowded city bus made its way through the afternoon rush-hour traffic. _I really hope I haven't come down with something…_

Being startled awake by his alarm clock this morning had only been the beginning - _it was probably an omen,_ Jonathan dryly thought. Nearly forgetting his lunch on the way out the door, 'zoning out' in class, consistently not being able to answer the teacher's questions…these kinds of things rarely happened to him. _Hopefully it was just an 'off' day, everyone has those once in a while…

* * *

_

_Earlier that day…_

Jonathan sat alone during lunch break, as usual, eating his lunch at a bench built into the backside of one of the classroom buildings. At least, he _was_ sitting alone…until someone tapped him on the shoulder from behind, startling him.

"Hey, mind if I join ya?"

It was Steven Lee, Jonathan's classmate and resident gamer...also, he remembered, the first person to mention the Angelic Layer game launch to him. "Sure, if you want to."

"Thanks!" Steven, carrying his own lunch bag, sat down in front of Jonathan. Instead of starting on his lunch, he peered oddly at Jonathan, as if puzzled. "You doing alright, Jon? You're not acting much like yourself today..."

"You noticed, huh?" Jonathan sighed. "Yeah, I _have _been feeling a bit out of sorts today. I'm starting to wonder if I ended up picking up something _else_ at Fry's last night..."

Steven's expression changed instantly to one of peaked interest. "You went to Fry's yesterday? Did you go for the Angelic Layer launch event? Was it crowded? Did you meet anybody famous there?"

"Um...yes, ah...yeah...er..." Jonathan retreated under the constant barrage of questions. "I...I did get to see a demonstration of a battle, and...I think...oh, and the guy who created the game in Japan was there. I think..."

Steven's eyes seemed to threaten to bulge out of their sockets at that last part. "The CREATOR of Angelic Layer was there? And I MISSED him?" He spent the next few seconds fuming before he finally became coherent again. "Well, anyway...so, did you buy anything?"

"Yeah," Jonathan replied. He opened his backpack and pulled out the carrying case, handing it over. Steven opened it, and whistled appreciatively at the Angel inside.

"Not bad, not bad at all. He's a lightweight...speed-type, right?" Jonathan nodded. "What did you name him?"

"Nova," Jonathan replied.

"'Nova', eh? I like it; it's catchy. The colors you picked go well together, too... Want to see Mirage?"

"Huh? You've got one, too?"

"Of course! You think I would miss out on a game launch as spectacular as _this_?" Steven removed his own Angel's case from his backpack and offered it to Jonathan. Inside was a relatively tall, tanned figure garbed in an ornate, loose-fitting outfit that was largely the color of desert sand.

Jonathan shook his head in bemusement. "How long did it take you to make this?"

"What, the clothes? Oh, about three hours, give or take a few minutes. I had my little sister help me out with it, she's pretty good at sewing stuff like this." His expression lit up suddenly, as if an idea had just occurred to him. "Hey, want to try these out after school today? I heard that they set up a really nice practice center over at Fry's, and it should be opening up today. Wanna come with?"

"Hmmm...this afternoon?" Jonathan thought about it for a couple seconds, before remembering that he didn't have anything else planned for today. "Well, I guess so." _And besides, I _did_ say that I would practice every day if I had to_, he remembered. _And now is as good a time as any to start.

* * *

_

After what seemed like an eternity, the bus slowed to a stop just short of the Fry's parking lot entrance, which was (as usual) congested with vehicle traffic. _Sheesh_, Jonathan mused. _It's a wonder that there aren't that many accidents around here with this kind of traffic…_ As if on cue, the sound of screeching tires and a pair of blaring horns signaled a near-miss as an impatient driver barely avoided smashing into the passenger side of a pickup turning into the parking lot, as Jonathan and Steven watched from the sidewalk.

"Huh," Steven remarked, shaking his head. "And people wonder why I don't like to drive around here. It's practically suicide."

Jonathan nodded in agreement, before throwing Steven a sidelong glance. "You have a license already?"

"Yup. I don't have a car of my own yet, though. My dad lets me drive his Camry around every once in a while, but it'll probably be a couple years before I get my own car. How about you?"

"Me? I haven't turned 16 yet, I can't get my license for another few months at least. Besides," Jonathan continued, "I wouldn't like driving around here any more than you do. I don't have a death wish." He looked across the parking lot. "No crowds out here today," he commented.

"Yeah," Steven agreed. "I was at the launch at Mission Center yesterday, and it was crazy how many people were there! I've never seen anything like it before. Kinda makes me wonder about the tournaments, when they start… You saw the TV commercial, didn't you? Can you imagine playing in front of a crowd like _that_?"

The thought stopped Jonathan cold. _Playing...in front of a crowd..._ A recent flash of memory played in his mind: the fast-paced battle playing out in the midst of an arena _completely packed with spectators._ The thought hadn't really occurred to him; _in__ the commercial, at least, the game seemed to be really, really popular,_ Jonathan mused. _What _would_ it be like playing in front of a crowd that big?_

"Hey, you alright?"

Steven was standing in front of him with a slightly concerned expression on his face. "Wh...umm, yeah, I think." Jonathan could actually feel his face warming from embarassment. "I just...I dunno, zoned out a bit, I guess."

"Oh. Well, no sweat, then. Happens to me all the time." They finally made their way through the front doors and into the store proper. "Now, where did they set up the practice tables…?" The pair slipped through the usual throng of customers clustered in front of the newspaper ad corkboard, and looked at the store map. "Oh, good," Steven noted, "they actually posted a new map already. This says…there, the corner across from the registers, by the video game section. Whoa…look at that, looks like they cleared out that entire area just for practice tables! Let's check it out!"

* * *

"Wow…!" 

Jonathan was quite impressed by the Angelic Layer practice center. As Steven had pointed out on the map, the area had been completely cleared of merchandise and was now occupied by an array of practice tables, each only about five feet across. Each table had two of the same comfortable-looking chairs Jonathan remembered from the demonstration the day before, as well as a pair of headsets connected to the tables by both a thin cable and a security chain. _They're probably alarmed, too, _Jonathan thought. The area was bustling with people, both players practicing with their new Angels and employees wandering around helping them out. A large, logo-emblazoned booth had been set up near the entrance to the practice area, with two relatively short lines formed in front.

"I think we're supposed to go there first," Jonathan pointed out to Steven, who was still gazing across the center. "I think that's a registration booth or something…hey, you listening?"

"Wha…" Steven turned at the sound of Jonathan's voice, as if startled. "Oh, right. Booth, gotcha." He chuckled to himself. "See, I told you so…"

The line moved surprisingly fast, and in only a couple of minutes the pair reached the booth, which contained an array of computer equipment. The two were greeted by a smiling young woman wearing a uniform bearing the Angelic Layer logo. "Hi! Welcome to the Fry's Angelic Layer Practice Center! How can I help you today?"

Steven spoke up first. "We'd like to use one of the practice tables, please."

"Certainly…you'll be practicing together, then?"

"Yes, ma'am," Steven replied.

"Alright, then…" She tapped a few keys on her keyboard. "And how long will you be practicing today?"

While Steven answered her questions, Jonathan turned to look around at the practice area. _There really are a lot of people here, _he noted. _I wonder if there's anyone else here I know…_ He focused in on one of the tables, where a boy probably less than half his age cheered enthusiastically as his Angel ponderously climbed to its feet in front of him. _I wonder how hard it really is to learn how to control an Angel..._

"Hey, Jonathan!" Steven poked him lightly in the shoulder. "Man, you're just as bad as I am. Get your Angel out, she needs to borrow it for a second."

"Umm…OK." Jonathan could again feel his face redden slightly as he opened up his backpack to retrieve Nova. He carefully removed the Angel from its case and handed it to the woman, who placed it into what looked like the same kind of interface unit he had at home. He peered curiously at Steven. "What's she doing?"

"Scanning it," Steven replied. "When you create an Angel, a lot of important information is stored in permanent memory somewhere in its hardware…their computers use that information to link Angels to their owners, so only that person can use it."

"Ah, I remember now." The Angelic Layer computer program had mentioned that in the last part of the creation process, Jonathan recalled. His attention returned to the booth, as the woman continued to enter information into the terminal. After a few seconds, she retrieved a device from behind the desk and set it on top of the countertop; the device somewhat resembled the headsets worn by the players at the practice tables.

"Can I have you put this on, please?" the woman in the booth asked. "It should only take a few seconds; this is a simple process that we use to 'pair' you with your Angel so that only you may control it."

Jonathan did as asked, lifting the surprisingly light device and fitting it carefully on his head, adjusting it a bit until it fit snugly. He watched for a moment as the woman tapped a few keys, waited for a moment, and finally removed Nova from the interface unit. "All done! You can go ahead and take the headset off, just put it on the counter…" She waited until Jonathan had done so, and offered Nova back to him. "There you go. You two are all set, then! You'll be using Layer number sixteen; there's a map of the practice area on the side of the booth, and the Layers are also labelled with their numbers. Have fun!"

Both Jonathan and Steven thanked the woman, and stepped to the side of the booth to look at the map. "Hmm…ah, there it is, way in the back," Steven pointed out. "Good. I don't know about you, but I'm not much of a fan of having an audience when I'm trying something out for the first time."

Jonathan fervently agreed. "At least you've played fighting games before," he commented. "I don't even have that much to help me. This really is going to be a learning experience for me…"

Once the pair reached Layer #16, they set their Angels carefully on the edge of the surface, set their backpacks beside the chairs, and picked up their respective headsets. Jonathan looked his over carefully, noting a small button on the left side next to the cable input. He showed it to Steven. "What's the button do?" he asked. "You've got a manual or something, right?"

"You mean you didn't grab one?" Steven shook his head mockingly. "It's a good thing _I_ thought ahead, then. I picked up a guide back at the registration booth. That button activates the headset after you put it on."

"Uh-huh." _Note to self: grab a guide on the way out today,_ Jonathan noted. He slipped the light, helmet-like device onto his head; it fit snugly, requiring only slight adjustment. He felt for the button near his left ear, pushed it…and the _snap!_ of the wing-like extensions on either side startled him as the headset came to life. The transparent visor in front of his eyes lit up, showing a detailed heads-up display showing a number of technical-looking statistics around the edges. What stood out the most, however, was what he was seeing in the center of the display: his own startled face. "What the…?"

"Oh, you've got yours working already? Cool!" Steven was still leafing through the booklet-sized beginners guide; his headset was still resting on the Layer next to his Angel. "Let's see…it says here that the visor's display lets you view the battle from your Angel's point of view, and also allows you to monitor your Angel's condition at the same time. It has a diagram here, take a look…" He walked around the Layer and handed the guide to Jonathan, who spent a few minutes reviewing while Steven tried on his own headset.

_ Heads-up display diagram…OK, that makes sense. Damage points, physical condition, system integrity, all the important stuff all in one place. Well, that's all well and good, but how do you _ move_ the darn thing?_ Jonathan skimmed a few pages, until he found what he was looking for. _Basic control…now that's more like it._

_ "Through an unprecedented merger of high technology and research on the workings of the human mind, Angelic Layer allows players to control their Angels using their thoughts alone, the most advanced and unique control system in the world!" _ Jonathan skipped the technical description, wanting to get to the part where he could get his Angel to move. _"One of the keys to controlling your Angel is visualization. As a practice exercise, place your Angel in a sitting position on the Layer. Put on the supplied headset (or your own, if you are practicing at home), ensure it is connected tightly to the Layer's interface port, and activate it using the button near the left ear. Once the headset is active and the heads-up display is turned on, visualize your Angel moving to a standing position. It will likely require quite a bit of concentration at first, and will probably take a few times for the Angel to properly respond as the system adjusts to your unique thought patterns."_

Jonathan fixed his attention on the figure already sitting on the edge of the Layer. Taking a deep breath, he pictured the Angel in his mind, imagined it getting to its feet. _Nothing…well, it did say it might take a few tries to get it right._ He tried concentrating a little harder; still nothing. He tried a third time, a fourth, with still no response. _C'mon, Nova…move! Stand up!_ Once again, he concentrated on the motionless Angel, and focused all of his willpower into the mental command: _Stand _up!

For a moment, nothing happened…but after what seemed like an eternity, one of Nova's limbs twitched slightly, then again. _It's moving…!_ Jonathan was ecstatic. _Nova's moving!_ Again, he focused, willing the Angel to move. Slowly, hesitantly, joints flexed, limbs straightened, until Nova had shifted to a kneeling posture. _Almost there…_ Jonathan was actually sweating a bit from the mental exercise, but he refused to give up. Little by little, he guided Nova's movements, shifting one leg, straightening the other, holding both arms out for balance…until finally, after almost three minutes of effort, Nova stood erect near the edge of the Layer, facing his proud owner…both with identical expressions on their faces. Jonathan looked across at his friend, wanting to share his accomplishment. "Hey, look! I got Nova to stand…up…"

Steven was sitting across the Layer, watching him with an amused expression on his face while Mirage stood idly by, waving. "I was starting to worry a bit there…from the look on your face, I thought you might pop a blood vessel in your brain if you kept that up for too long."

"How…?"

Steven shrugged. "Not really sure. It just seemed natural to me, only took me a couple tries before I got her moving. After that, it was easy." As if to demonstrate (and perhaps, to show off a bit), Steven had Mirage walk around in a circle, do a few jumping jacks, and then a backflip, while Jonathan could only look on in awe. And more than a little envy. "Hey, why don't you try it now? You've got him standing up, try moving him around a bit more!"

"…alright. Trust me, this isn't very easy at all for _me_…" He turned back towards Nova who stood in the same position Jonathan had left him in minutes before. Drawing another deep breath, Jonathan summoned his willpower and focused it on the diminutive figure standing before him. The Angel moved one foot cautiously forward…and nearly fell on its face before Jonathan moved to intervene.

"Hey, I think you're going about this all wrong," Steven interjected from the opposite end of the Layer. "Relax! Try to move him like you would move your own body!"

_ Like I would move my own body, huh?_ Jonathan thought about that for a bit. _Well, I still say it's easier said than done…but heck, it can't be any worse than anything _else_ I've tried so far. Here goes…_ Sitting back in the chair, he tried to clear his mind and relax. He pictured himself in his mind, tried to visualize how he walked, and pictured Nova mirroring the same movements as a whole, without focusing too hard on each individual movement. As he watched, to his surprise, the Angel moved exactly as he willed it to…though, without consciously thinking about it, he had forgotten to have Nova turn, and thus walked him straight off the edge of the Layer. Instinctively, he lunged forward, catching Nova well before he hit the floor. Steven whistled, as if impressed.

"What did I tell you? Nothing to it! That was a good catch there, too. You've got pretty good reflexes," he noted. "Those'll help you out a lot in battles, once you've practiced enough to use them to your advantage. It's the same as a video game, except that here, you don't have to worry about hand-eye coordination; it's all in the mind," he said, tapping the side of his head for emphasis.

The two continued to practice for another hour or so; Jonathan focused on mastering basic movement while Steven tried out different combat techniques with widely varying degrees of success (and earning more than one annoyed glare from Jonathan in the process). Finally, they both decided that they had made enough progress for one day. Jonathan felt particularly pleased with himself; after he had finally been convinced to relax and control Nova naturally, he was able to progress much more quickly, and was able to have Nova run laps around the edge of the Layer without falling off (well, without "assistance" from Steven and Mirage, anyway) by the end of the session. As the two walked back through the parking lot towards the bus stop, they continued talking about Angelic Layer; what they had learned, stuff they could try, how to fight in a battle, and so on. There was already a bus at the stop when they arrived, so the two boarded and sat together near the rear door.

"Well…that was fun, wasn't it," Steven asked.

"Yeah," Jonathan replied a bit tiredly. "I never would have thought that you could end up so exhausted just by playing a game like that, though." He yawned for emphasis. "Still…yeah, it was fun. More fun than I've had in a while, in fact."

"That's great!" Steven was still as enthusiastic as ever. "So, want to practice with me again tomorrow then?"

"Umm…sure," Jonathan agreed.

"Awesome! Hey, maybe we can have a practice battle, too! We'll both need the experience, and maybe I can teach you some moves while we're at it..."

Steven continued talking…but his audience had already fallen asleep.

* * *

_ Author's Note: Good grief, this one took FOREVER to finish. I apologize if this one seems a bit forced/rushed, but after three months of "It'll be done this weekend", "I'll finish up and post tomorrow", and so on, I needed to just get the darned thing finished and posted. Hopefully the momentum I've built up in getting this out the door will carry over into #6; we'll just have to wait and see (but hopefully not nearly so long this time. ;;; )_


	6. 06: Shadow Boxing

_(Yawn...)_

Jonathan gazed tiredly at his computer screen, wondering why exactly he was still awake. _It's almost ten...I really should get some sleep, especially if I'm going to practice with Steven after school again tomorrow._

The majority of the evening since he returned home had been spent at the computer, looking for any information he could find about Angelic Layer. A surprising amount was available, he found; from its origins in Japan over half a decade earlier as a prototype for a new breakthrough in medical research that would eventually result in the creation of fully-functional prosthetic limbs, to the introduction to the public at large of what would become one of the most sweeping phenomenons the small island country (and eventually, the world) had ever known. There were countless biographies, profiles, and shrines to the creators of the game, and a number of its most skilled players (a couple of which Jonathan quickly recognized from the launch event). While a majority of the websites pertaining to the game were in Japanese, there were enough translations and newer sites that he was able to get a fairly good overview of the game's history.

There was also the matter of the upcoming tournaments. Jonathan found, listed on the U.S. official game website, that there were tourneys ranging from local-area events all the way up to the prestigious World Championship in Tokyo, where the very best Deuses competed for the coveted title of Angelic Layer World Champion. _Yeah, like I'll ever get a chance at _that, Jonathan thought dryly. _I can barely get Nova to _walk_ straight, much less win a fight against someone who has been playing this for years..._ Mentally, he questioned the logic of even bothering with the area tournament, seeing as he would probably only last a few seconds in a real battle. _Even a first-grader could probably boot me right off of the Layer right now_, he mused. _I need practice, and lots of it, before I can even _think_ about entering the tourney..._

_(Yawn...)_

_...but what I need right now, is _sleep. Stifling another yawn, Jonathan signed off from the computer, turned off his desklamp, and turned in for the night.

* * *

"Alright...here I come!"

Assuming a combat stance (or, Jonathan thought, something vaguely resembling one), Mirage sprung forward, charging across the Layer towards Nova. Jonathan willed Nova into what he hoped was an effective defensive posture, and braced for the attack. The sand-colored Angel closed the distance quickly, and with impressive speed lashed out with a spinning kick aimed directly at Nova's head. Jonathan instinctively had Nova duck underneath the kick, which swept just over the Angel's head; Mirage, somewhat off-balance from both momentum and the missed attack, tried to stop before she fell off the Layer entirely, simultaneously spinning about and reaching out with both arms as if reaching for something to use as an anchor.

Naturally, the only object within reach was the hapless Nova; Jonathan watched as Mirage grabbed onto the shorter Angel's arm in an attempt to keep from flying over the edge...an attempt that failed miserably, as this only resulted in _both_ Angels tumbling outside of the Layer's boundary, landing on the floor in a heap nearly three feet away. Jonathan shot his opponent an annoyed glance as he stood to retrieve the fallen pair.

"A little enthusiastic today, aren't you?" Jonathan asked, putting mild sarcasm into the query.

"Hey, that wouldn't have happened if you hadn't ducked, y'know."

Jonathan smirked. "I thought the point of the game was to _not_ let your opponent hit you."

Steven rolled his eyes. "Details, details. Let's try this again...hey, why don't you try attacking me this time?"

"Me? Attack?" Jonathan considered the idea. "I dunno...I don't really know any martial arts or attack moves, or anything."

Steven chuckled, somewhat amused. "So, just make something up, then! C'mon...after all, it probably couldn't be worse than _that_," he pointed out, nodding towards where Nova and Mirage had landed. "Give it a try!"

Mirage, back on the Layer now, backflipped her way to stand in front of Steven, shifting to a guarding position. Jonathan, throwing caution to the wind, sent Nova charging across the Layer, much like Mirage had just done. _Attack, attack...what _kind_ of attack?_ Nova had nearly reached his opponent by now, and Jonathan decided to use what little fighting instinct he had.

Nova slid to a halt just short of Mirage, and without any particular grace or technique, shot out his right arm in an open-handed shove...which missed the target entirely, as she was no longer there. Nova glanced around in momentary confusion, trying to spot his target, when a sharp blow from behind sent him careening forward. Jonathan was certain that Nova would fall off the Layer again, but made an effort to try to regain his balance anyway. Through sheer willpower and luck, he managed to spin the Angel around in mid-fall, halting his momentum a hair's-breadth from the invisible barrier. Not even bothering to look behind him, Jonathan willed Nova to kick out at where he guessed the sneak attack had come from.

To his utter surprise, the kick connected solidly, sending Mirage stumbling backwards. Jonathan looked up, and caught a look of surprise on Steven's face. _Weren't expecting _that_, were you?_ Focusing on the field of battle again, he maneuvered Nova back to his side of the Layer again, and prepared for his next move as Steven and Mirage did likewise.

"Not bad, not bad," Steven commented. "That was a pretty good recovery there, and I loved that counter-attack. You're picking this up pretty quick."

"I was improvising," Jonathan admitted. "You've at least got some sort of experience to work with, I'm just making stuff up as I go."

"So? Think about it this way," Steven countered, "improvisation is what makes your style unique. If everyone fought the same way, wouldn't that be really boring? Plus, it's harder to defend against someone who uses an unpredictable style. If you go around using the same moves over and over, eventually, people will learn how to counter them." Something out of Jonathan's view caught Steven's attention, and he paused. "Hey...what's going on over there?"

"Hmm?" Jonathan turned in his seat to look at what Steven was pointing out. About halfway across the practice area, a small crowd had gathered around one of the Layers, murmuring excitedly. He turned back towards Steven. "Want to check it out?"

"Sure," his friend replied. Collecting their Angels from the Layer, the pair made their way over to the crowd. Skirting the edge of the gathering, the two tried to catch a glimpse of what was going on. Through a gap in the throng, they finally found out the reason for the excitement.

On the Layer, a pair of Angels were in the midst of a fierce battle that made Nova and Mirage's battle look like a playground tussle. The more aggressive of the two, a mid-sized figure with spiked fire-red hair and a red-and-black combat jumpsuit, was lashing out with a continuous barrage of lightning-fast kicks and punches, any one of which Jonathan was certain would easily have sent Nova sprawling.

The opponent, however, was not attacking at all; rather, the slender Angel - garbed entirely in a loose-fitting black martial-arts uniform - was leading his opponent around the Layer, somehow managing to evade every single one of his attacker's blows with blindingly-quick movements. Jonathan couldn't help but let out a surprised whistle at the skill of the black Angel's Deus. He glanced beside him at Steven...and was surprised yet again, this time by the annoyed expression on his face. Steven seemed to sense Jonathan's gaze, and turned towards him.

"See the guy over there at the far end?" He pointed towards the Deus at the opposite side of the Layer, who gazed calmly at the combatants as the battle continued. "That's my brother, Matt. He goes to SDSU, and he plays games even more than I do...he can be kinda annoying sometimes, 'cause he can beat me at just about every game we play, and he makes it look _easy_. He's the one controlling that black Angel there...he named it Shadow."

"That's your _brother_?" Jonathan did a double-take at the older Lee. "Hmm...I guess I shouldn't be _too_ surprised. I'd guess this kinda stuff runs in the family."

"Tell me about it." Steven sighed. "Angelic Layer's only been out here for a couple days, and he's already practically an expert at it. I wouldn't be half surprised if he played in the area tournament and breezed right through it, the way he's playing now...and he's still practicing every day!" His expression lit up then, as if he had suddenly remembered something. "Hey, you still planning on signing up for the tournament in a couple weeks?"

"I'm not too sure," Jonathan replied. He glanced back towards the battle, considering the challenge ahead. "I'm not sure I'll be ready for it that soon, especially considering the level of skill I'll be up against."

"Eh, don't sweat it, Jon," Steven countered, slapping his friend on the back for emphasis. "I'll help you out, and I'll see if Matt'll give you a few pointers himself. You've just gotta believe in yourself, who knows what'll happen then?"

Back on the Layer, the red-and-black Angel struggled to land a blow on his ninja-like opponent, who continued to dodge the attacks effortlessly. A few moments later, without warning, Shadow moved with incredible speed (Jonathan saw little more than a black-tinged blur) to slip in behind his adversary. Before the confused Angel even had a chance to turn around, Shadow slammed a gloved fist directly into his backside, sending him tumbling forward with sufficient velocity to carry him completely out of the Layer. The crowd cheered enthusiastically as Shadow leapt through the air, landing neatly in his Deus' outstretched palm. Matthew Lee stood, removing the headset, and smiled warmly as the gathered spectators congratulated him. He stepped delicately through the crowd, gathered his opponent's Angel from where it had landed and returned it to its Deus.

"There you go, Kyle," he said as he handed the Angel to its owner. "You're getting better, I told you that practice would help."

"Heh...so you say, but you still didn't have any trouble at all taking me down. Chaos here couldn't even lay a finger on you!" The second Deus shook his head ruefully. "Man...if you decide to fight in the tournament, I don't think I'll bother showing up. It'll be no contest!"

"Don't talk like that," Matt admonished. "As I said, all you need is a little more practice. Just stick with it, and you'll be surprised how much you can improve. Hey...is that Steve over there?" He looked across the crowd, spotting his younger sibling. "Steve!"

* * *

"So, you just started playing Angelic Layer too?" As he asked, Matt seemed to be sizing Jonathan up as the group sat at a table near the Fry's snack bar.

"Umm...yeah," Jonathan replied.

"Well, if Steve here hasn't already told you, I'm his older brother, Matthew." He extended his hand to Jonathan. "Nice to meet you...?"

"Oh, my name's Jonathan. Nice to meet you too," Jonathan replied, accepting Matthew's handshake.

"My pleasure. Oh, before I forget, this here's Kyle Green, my roommate and erstwhile training partner."

"'Punching bag', you mean," Kyle replied good-naturedly. "Nice to meet you, Jonathan. Were you here to practice too?"

"Yeah...me and Steven were working on the basics, though I've still got a lot to learn, it seems."

"You and me both," Kyle responded. "If you ask me," the said conspiratorally, leaning toward Jonathan, "they're toying with us on purpose, just for their amuseme—ack!" An elbow in the side from the elder Lee cut him off abruptly. "Alright, alright, I take it back...really, you didn't need to do _that_, a simple 'be quiet' would have sufficed..."

"Maybe, but that got the point across in a way you would be less likely to forget," Matt pointed out. "Anyway, back to the point at hand...so, Jonathan, Steve tells me that you're looking to play in the area tournament?"

"Well..." Jonathan hesitated. "If I thought I had even a decent chance, I would love to...but at the rate I'm picking this up, it'd probably take months for me to be ready."

Matthew thought about that for a moment. "Well...I can't promise you anything, but I can at least work you a bit, show you some things you might not have thought of yet. How's that sound?"

Jonathan paused. "You'll help me out? Really?"

This elicited a slight chuckle. "Of course...isn't that what friends are for? Besides, it wouldn't be entirely one-sided; everyone possesses their own unique skills, their own outlooks, views, and such. You might be able to teach me things that _I_ wouldn't have thought of on my own."

Jonathan had to laugh at that. "Oh, I'm not so sure...about the only thing I might be able to teach you is how _not_ to fight."

"I think you might be surprised, Jonathan." Matthew glanced at his watch. "Well, we've got to get going. So...how's tomorrow afternoon sound to you? Say, about five-thirty?"

"Hmm...yeah, five-thirty sounds good."

"Then, five-thirty it is. Just look around for me, I'll probably already be here somewhere warming up." Matthew and Kyle stood, shouldering their backpacks. "Well, it was a pleasure meeting you, Jonathan. I think you'll do just fine, just keep practicing and don't give up. See you tomorrow!"

The pair took off for the exit, leaving Jonathan and Steven alone at the table. Steven looked down at his own watch. "Well, I think we had best get going ourselves," he noted. "So, what do you think? Still worrying about the tournament?"

"I don't know...I guess I'll keep practicing, and give it my best shot, I suppose," Jonathan replied. "After all, there's nowhere to go but up, is there?"

"True enough," Steven responded with a laugh. "I think that applies to both of us, in this case." He stood, tossing his backpack around his shoulders. "You should do well enough...after all, Matt _did_ teach me how to play video games, and when I started out I was probably worse off than you are right now. Anyone who can teach _me_ how to do something new has got to be good for something." He waited until Jonathan was ready to go, and the two set off for the bus stop.

* * *

_Author's Notes:_

And I thought the gap between chapters 4 and 5 was bad...well, it took long enough, but here's the newest addition to the _New Horizons_ saga-to-be...please, if you read it and would like the story to continue, please leave a review! Your feedback is what will determine whether the story will go on!


	7. 07: Apprentice

Sitting motionless in the center of a small, shimmering circle, the white- and silver-garbed Angel waited with a calm, patient expression for its master's command. Its short, pale silver-white hair waved gently in the breeze from a fan elsewhere in the room, the only movement that could be seen from the statuesque figure. Eyes closed, arms resting atop its legs, the Angel appeared almost to be meditating – an appearance that almost exactly matched that of its Deus, who sat at the Layer's edge.

Slowly, as if awakening from a deep slumber, the Angel's eyes opened, though no other part of its body yet moved. The man beside the Layer did likewise, nearly in perfect sync with his creation. The Angel remained still for a few moments longer, before slowly rising to its feet; it stood perfectly straight, arms relaxed at its sides, eye-to-eye with its creator. At an unseen signal, the Angel gracefully shifted to a ready stance, feet planted widely apart, with arms at a guarding position. Smoothly, with virtually no unnecessary movements, the Deus directed the Angel through a series of combat techniques, each progressively more difficult than the last, with the grace of a professional ballet dancer, and the precision of a highly-trained martial artist. The session continued for several minutes, the Angel's movements becoming little more than a blur as it battled an imaginary opponent, striking out with a lightning-fast series of punches and kicks, occasionally evading an invisible counter before once again pressing the attack.

And all at once, the "fight" ended, the Angel landing from a powerful mid-air backflip-kick and remaining there, as perfectly still as it had begun. Satisfied, the Deus removed his headset, running a hand through his jet-black hair where the the top of the contraption had rested. He gazed at the Angel intently, where it continued to rest at the center of the practice Layer.

"We're almost ready, you and I," he stated quietly. "The real fun is just about to start, and we're going to be there to enjoy every minute of it…"

* * *

The enthusiasm Jonathan Blake had felt when he had first managed to get Nova to move had all but faded by now, as his Angel tumbled clumsily through yet another attempt at a backflip. The rest of the training to this point had followed a similar pattern; any movement more complex than walking or running had typically resulted in Nova either falling, tripping, or otherwise failing to achieve the desired effect. Even a simple 'sidestep' jump had resulted in Nova landing off-balance, tripping _on his own feet_, and tumbling out of the Layer entirely. 

Matthew Lee, his mentor, had seemed to be patiently guiding Jonathan through these exercises for nearly half an hour now, but the would-be apprentice figured that the elder Lee had to be tiring of his fruitless efforts by now, and was ready to just call the whole thing off. _The only good thing about this,_ Jonathan reflected, _is that Steven hasn't been around to mock me the whole time._ The younger Lee had gone straight home after school, ostensibly to work on a project for one of his other classes.

As if sensing Jonathan's thought, Matthew directed Shadow to a sitting posture, gesturing for his 'student' to do likewise as he deactivated and removed his headset.

"Hmm…you seem to be having just a bit of trouble here," he noted. (A _bit!_, Jonathan thought.) "Something bothering you, or are you just finding it a bit hard to concentrate?"

_Yeah, that would be a _very_ astute observation_, Jonathan mused incredulously. "Well, it's just a bit frustrating…well, alright, _more_ than a bit frustrating," he replied. "I know what I want Nova to do, I can visualize it in my head just fine, but when I try to actually move him like that, he just doesn't seem to follow quite right." He paused for a moment, as if trying to choose his wording carefully. "If I can't even get the basics right, why should I even bother trying for the tournament? I wouldn't stand a chance!"

Matthew seemed to ponder that for a moment, looking thoughtful. After a few seconds, instead of speaking, he gestured for Jonathan to look behind him. The teenager did so – and saw, at a Layer a couple rows over, what Matthew seemed to be indicating: a young girl, probably a first- or second-grader, focusing intently on an Angel wearing a simple pink gymnast's uniform. As the pair watched, the Angel stood stock-still, arms raised high above her head; slowly at first, the Angel bowed forward, arms extended outward, until they touched the Layer's surface. The Angel shifted her weight, using momentum to lift her body into the air, as if trying to do a handstand…but as they watched, the Angel seemed to lose her balance halfway through the movement, and tumbled to the Layer in a heap – much like Nova had done several times, Jonathan noted absently. What surprised him, however, was the child's response…or rather, the lack thereof. The Angel merely stood up, and after a few seconds' pause, tried the maneuver again. And when the same thing happened, she tried again.

Jonathan was beginning to wonder what Matthew was hinting at, when finally, after perhaps the seventh try, the Angel managed to perform a perfect handstand, balancing on the Layer for about five seconds before rolling back to a standing position. The young girl clapped and squealed in delight, obviously ecstatic at her accomplishment. Jonathan turned back towards his 'teacher', who simply smiled. "I figured that would get my point across better than anything I could have said."

"Anyone can learn how to control an Angel…the key is, simply, to _not give up_. If you don't get a technique right the first time, just try it again. And keep trying it, until you get it right. You can't learn everything in one day, after all; becoming good at any game, any hobby, takes lots of time and practice, and part of that practice is learning from your mistakes, and the mistakes of others. If you stay dedicated, you _will_ become better."

With that, Matthew donned his headset and activated it. Shadow gracefully rose to his feet and waited patiently for Jonathan and Nova to do the same. When both Angels were standing at the ready, a thin, mischievious smile appeared on the elder Lee's face. "Let's try something a bit different this time," he said.

Jonathan was about to ask what he meant…but apparently, he wasn't going to get the chance: without any warning, Shadow launched directly at Nova, the Angel little more than a black-tinged blur as he virtually flew across the Layer. Jonathan had no time to think, no time to formulate a response to the unprovoked attack, no time to do _anything_…but, simply, to _react_. What happened in the next half-second, Jonathan was not entirely sure; it had happened nearly too fast for his mind to process. The end result, however, was something he had not at all expected, as Nova had somehow managed to evade the attack entirely. Not only that, but in that fraction of a second, the inexperienced combatant had actually landed a counterblow that had sent Shadow stumbling, though not quite out of the Layer, and his Deus had an appreciative, thoughtful expression on his face as he regarded Jonathan. "Not bad, not bad at all. Whatever you may lack in overall control, you more than make up for in gut instinct, Jon. I'd hazard that maybe only one or two people in here could have pulled off a move like that without a lot of practice."

Jonathan shook his head, still not quite believing what he had just seen. "I—I have no idea what just _happened_, much less how I did it…"

"What just happened," Matthew explained, "was a test of sorts. I wanted to see just how you would react to an attack with no warning whatsoever. Specifically, I wanted to see your _instinctive_ reaction; if you had tried to think about how you would respond, you wouldn't have had a chance of defending against an attacker coming at you that fast. You have to respond instinctively, without thought. And you did well, for someone with so little fighting experience."

"Yeah, that was _awesome,_ Jon!" The voice came from Jonathan's left; as he looked, he saw Steven weaving his way towards the Layer, a bottle of soda in one hand and his backpack in the other. Trailing behind was Matthew's roommate Kyle, with an Angelic Layer-branded laptop-style case hanging from his shoulder.

"We have an audience, it seems," the elder Lee remarked with a smirk.

Jonathan was still trying to figure out what exactly he had done as the pair reached their Layer, Steven waxing ecstatic about how Nova had actually landed a blow on Shadow when even Mirage and Chaos could not. Kyle simply observed the spectacle with an amused expression, though he did quirk an eyebrow slightly when he glanced at Jonathan, seemingly impressed.

Matthew Lee looked at his watch, then turned to Jonathan. "Well, we've got a bit of time left before I've got to head back…why don't we have a little battle to finish up for the day? You're going to have to practice fighting eventually, and this will be a good way to find out where you need to focus your attention the most."

Jonathan was about to lodge a protest about his absurd lack of fighting ability—but stopped short. He looked down at Nova, who almost seemed to look questioningly back at him. A few moments passed…and then, with considerably more grace than he had previously shown, Nova leapt back to his Deus' side of the Layer and stood at the ready. "I'll probably get beaten to a pulp…but you're right, I need the experience. Let's do it!"

With that, the fight began. Shadow, taking the initiative, charged across the Layer, closing the distance in mere fractions of a second. This time, however, the Angel stopped short of his opponent, and began peppering his opponent with quick jabs and light kicks. To everyone's surprise—except, perhaps, Matthew Lee—Nova was somehow able to evade most of the faster Angel's blows, if narrowly. Kept on the defensive, Nova kept moving, a slow retreat, trying to open a gap between him and his attacker, but Shadow relentlessly pressed the assault. Jonathan was at a loss for what to do; he didn't know how he could force Shadow to break off, to give him a chance to recover. Suddenly, a flash of insight came to him, as he remembered a move he had seen during the demo battle at the launch a few days before. Figuring it was now or never, he pictured the move in his mind, summoned his willpower, and mentally shouted to Nova: _Now!_

The Angel hopped backward slightly, just out of Shadow's range, and with one not-quite-fluid motion, arched over backwards with arms reaching for the Layer's surface, as if doing the reverse of the little girl's earlier move. Instead of performing a handstand, however, Nova continued the movement through, a complete if somewhat unsteady backflip – and to even Matthew's surprise, slammed his foot directly into Shadow's chin, sending the ninja-esque Angel flying to land on his back nearly halfway across the Layer.

Nova's own momentum sent him tumbling backwards, but Jonathan quickly recovered from the momentary shock at the success of his counterattack, willing the Angel back to his feet as his opponent did likewise. He noted, out of the corner of his field of vision, both Steven and Kyle looking at him with varying degrees of surprise, but kept the bulk of his attention on the fight. Matthew glanced up from the Layer, and gave Jonathan an appreciative nod.

"You caught me by surprise there; wasn't expecting a counter like that," he remarked. "Not bad at all for a rookie. Now, though, let's see how you intend to counter _this…_"

Shadow once again leapt into the battle, but this time, he moved much faster, the punches and kicks being delivered with much more force behind them. Nova was still able to evade or block some of the blows, but much less often–and the damage was adding up quickly. Jonathan could see, through the visor's heads-up display, that his single blow had knocked off nearly half of Shadow's damage bar…but Nova's own indicator had, in the space of about six seconds, dropped by nearly half itself, and was still falling. Jonathan was still trying to come up with a counterattack when Shadow hopped backwards, leapt nearly two feet into the air above the Layer, and delivered a devastating dropkick directly to Nova's chest.

Jonathan's Angel was sent careening backwards by the finishing blow, rolling end-over-end twice before exiting the Layer, landing on the floor a couple feet away from his Deus' chair. The battle ended, Shadow backflipped a couple times and then leapt out of the opposite side of the Layer, landing in his Deus' outstretched hands.

From somewhere behind him, Jonathan heard the sound of clapping; he looked, and was surprised to see that a group of spectators, perhaps a dozen or so, had gathered to watch the battle. He looked across at Matthew, who was removing his headset. He caught Jonathan's gaze, and smiled. "I did mention that we seemed to have an audience, didn't I?"

To his own surprise, Jonathan did not feel at all disappointed that he had lost the battle; instead, he felt…_invigorated_, somehow. After all, he had gone into the fight with no practical experience, and had landed a solid blow on an experienced fighter, even if said fighter _was_ going easy on him. He was able to control Nova well, if not quite flawlessly, for the entire battle, outperforming his own expectations. "You know what?" he asked. "I think you might be right. I might be able to fight after all."

"That's the spirit!" Matthew responded with a broad grin. "Of all the things you learned today, that alone might have been the most important. I can teach you the basics– techniques, movement, stuff like that…but the most important thing is _motivation_; you have to _want_ to learn, _want_ to win. I can't give you that; it's something you have to come up with on your own. Without it, all of the fighting techniques in the world are useless. When you _want_ to win, if you're willing to put forth the effort willingly, you will be able to accomplish anything you set your mind to." He coughed slightly, as if slightly embarassed. "Sorry…I can get a bit carried away sometimes. Seriously, though," he continued, "if you keep up at the rate you're improving now, I think you'll do just fine in the area tournament – assuming you still intend to sign up, that is…"

Jonathan thought about it for a few seconds, but in reality, he had already made up his mind.

"Well, if I _don't_ sign up, that means I won't get the opportunity to beat you, doesn't it?"

His 'teacher' grinned even wider. "Now _that's_ what I wanted to hear!" He glanced at his watch again. "Well, that's going to have to do it for today." He stood, shouldering his backpack. "I'm looking forward to practice tomorrow, Jonathan; now that I've got an idea of where you stand in fighting ability, we can get to the fun stuff. I hope you learned something from the battle today, because we're going to be doing it again tomorrow. Five-thirty sound good to you?"

Jonathan nodded his agreement. "I'll probably get here a bit earlier to do some solo work on the basics again." He groaned inwardly at his dismal performance earlier. "'Practice makes perfect', right?"

"Absolutely," the elder Lee agreed. "Five-thirty it is, then." With Kyle already heading for the exit, Matthew began weaving between practice Layers to catch up. "See you tomorrow!"

* * *

_Author's Notes: Kyaa, another tough one to write. This chapter was started and aborted nearly a half-dozen times before I finally sat down and forced myself to come up with a decent outline. After I got that done, I finally had a concrete direction in which to take this chapter…the rest was as simple as overcoming a chronic case of writer's block. The end result could have been better, but all things considered, it's better to simply get _something_ done and posted, and worry about damage control later.

* * *

_

_The San Diego Area Tournament is coming up fast, and the competition is heating up for Jonathan and Nova! Will this novice fighter be up to speed in time for the first round? Keep reading Angelic Layer: New Horizons and find out!_

_Angelic Layer and all canon characters/settings are the creations of CLAMP. Original characters (pretty much everyone in this part of the story) are my own creation; ask me first if you want to use them elsewhere, for whatever strange reason._


	8. 08: Field of Battle

"Quite the competition this season, don't you think?"

"Hmm."

Seemingly oblivious to the bustle of shoppers and salespeople going about their business during the peak afternoon shopping hours, the pair relaxed at their usual spot in the Piffle Princess food court, chatting over a round of tea.

"Misaki-san is looking especially strong this year...I'm amazed at how much she keeps improving. Even Hatoko-san and Oujirou-san could hardly put up a fight against her," the younger of the two pointed out. "She puts so much into every fight, it's little wonder she keeps winning. We should do the same, Sai-san, if we want to stand a chance against her."

"...that's right," her companion agreed. "Anything less and you might as well give up the fight before it starts." 'Sai-san' leaned back in her chair, as if reminiscing. "She never gives up, never stops fighting until she finds a way to win. That," she said, gazing towards the ceiling, "is her greatest strength. We both learned that the hard way...didn't we, Kaede?"

Kaede smiled. "Yes. In fact, there are quite a few who learned that lesson back then. Arisu-san, for one..."

"Mmm." Sai recalled the match in which Arisu Fujisaki had attempted to cheat Misaki Suzuhara out of a victory against her older sister Madoka by planting a signal inhibitor on Misaki's Angel, Hikaru. However, Oujirou Mihara – younger brother-in-law of the game's founder – had recognized that something was amiss, and intervened, convincing the younger Fujisaki to stop using the device and let the match continue fairly. Shortly after the match ended, Arisu – after a long talk with her older sister – decided to create her own Angel for the next tournament season to challenge Hikaru on her own terms. "She certainly has improved over the last season as well, though she still has far to go before she reaches Suzuhara's level of ability."

"True enough. And let's not forget Madoka-san as well; she never has given up trying to beat Hatoko-san, though at least it looks like she's not doing it for revenge anymore." Kaede went quiet for a moment, as if in contemplation. "Misaki-san really did change a lot of us, for the better...don't you think, Sai-san?"

"Mmm."

* * *

_Whoosh!_ A fast roundhouse kick swept mere millimeters over Nova's head as he dropped to one knee. Shifting his center of balance, the Angel aimed a sweeping kick to take his opponent's legs out from under her. The attack connected solidly, and Mirage hit the Layer hard.

Jonathan's confidence had grown by leaps and bounds in the days since his first training session with Matthew Lee and Shadow, and his control and fighting technique were vastly improved over their first mock battle. While he knew he still had quite a way to go before he could go toe-to-toe with his mentor in an all-out battle, he was now at least capable of fighting on a roughly even level with his _other_ sparring partner.

Mirage recovered quickly, rolling out of Nova's reach and hopping lightly back onto her feet in a ready stance. Wasting no time, the sand-colored Angel went right back on the offensive, leaping into the air and aiming a powerful flying kick directly at Nova's head. The strike missed its intended target, who was no longer there; rather, he had side-stepped out of harm's way while taking hold of Mirage's outstretched leg. In one smooth motion, using his attacker's momentum against her, Nova bodily swung his opponent completely around, then released his grip and sent her flying. Mirage landed with an audible _thump_, only inches from the Layer's edge. The impact was hard enough to knock off a sizable portion of the Angel's damage bar, which was now nearly half depleted; however, Nova's own bar was down to nearly one-third, and only a minute and a half remained on the match timer. Jonathan knew that he needed to go for the win quickly, or risk losing by damage points.

Not wanting to give Steven the chance to recover, Jonathan sent Nova speeding towards his fallen opponent, intent on finishing the fight. Mirage stood as the blue-clad Angel approached, and leapt to the side to avoid being forced out of the Layer. Nova slid to a stop near the Layer's edge, mere inches from his target. In that instant, Mirage lashed out with another roundhouse kick at point-blank range. Nova blocked the kick, which inflicted only minimal damage...but it also sent both Angels wildly off-balance. In a desperate bid to regain her footing before she fell out of the Layer, Mirage's arm shot out toward the only other object nearby.

Mirage's outstretched arm, rather than latching onto Nova as was intended, instead caught the other Angel on the chin in an inadvertent backhand strike. Caught completely by surprise by the unexpected blow, Jonathan could do nothing but watch as Nova tumbled across the threshold at the Layer's edge, falling to the tile below with a loud clatter — followed quickly by Mirage, who was unable to recover her own balance in time. Still, as Nova had exited the Layer first, Steven was declared the victor.

Steven deactivated his visor with a relieved sigh, while Jonathan cast an amused look across the Layer towards him. "You can't possibly tell me you actually _meant_ to do that this time."

His opponent shrugged. "Hey, I'll take what I can get. Dumb luck _is_ legal, you know."

Jonathan could only laugh in response, as he gathered the two Angels from where they had landed. "It was a close fight, though. I almost had you there..."

"Yeah, guess I can't argue with that," Steven agreed as he accepted Mirage. Then, something behind Jonathan caught his attention. "Well, well...look who's here." As Jonathan turned to look, Steven nodded to acknowledge the new arrival. "Where were you? You missed all of the action, not to mention my glorious victory!"

Jonathan tried, unsuccessfully, to suppress a snort of laughter. "'Glorious'? I'd say 'accidental' is more like it."

Matthew Lee let out a good-natured chuckle of his own as he approached. "I daresay I'd be more inclined to believe Jonathan's account than that of our 'glorious' victor here," he noted to Kyle, who followed closely behind. "In any case, I _did_ catch most of the match, at least from a distance. It was an entertaining fight, and I didn't want to distract either of you by walking up right in the middle of it."

That was something Jonathan could be thankful for. His control of Nova during battle had improved dramatically, true; however, it was nowhere near perfect, and even now all it would take is a mild distraction to break his concentration. _I've still got quite a ways to go_, he thought.

"In any case," the elder Lee continued, "I figured we might try a change of pace today. Kyle, if you would..."

His friend obligingly stepped forward. "Matt here figured that it wouldn't do you all that much good to fight the same people all the time. Some nonsense about getting a 'broader experience' or somethin..._ow!_ Hey!" Kyle glared at Matthew, who was looking the other way with an innocent expression on his face that fooled absolutely nobody. "_Ahem_." He turned back to Jonathan. "So, he suggested that for today's lesson, you should fight against me and Chaos instead. Says it'll help to fight someone with a different style. So...how 'bout it?"

Jonathan quickly assented. From the fight he had seen a few days earlier between Chaos and Shadow, he figured that he and Kyle were probably at around the same skill level, and it _would_ be nice to be able to fight someone on an even keel.

* * *

The stage was set: Nova stood at the Layer's edge in front of Jonathan, poised for battle; Chaos was in a combat-ready stance at the opposite end. Matthew, playing the part of referee, stood at the midpoint, while Steven sat on the other side in a chair borrowed from a nearby table.

"Ready?" Matthew looked at each Deus, who nodded in turn. "Angels…fight!"

No sooner had the words left his mouth than Chaos was sprinting across the Layer to start the battle in earnest. Jonathan's memory flashed back to the abbreviated fight he had seen between Kyle and Matthew during before his first battle with Steven; he had a rough idea of what to expect from the oncoming Angel, and decided to try to pre-empt it. It would be somewhat risky, but Jonathan judged that if it worked, it would be worth it. As Chaos closed the distance, Nova suddenly sprang forward; with the two Angels less than an arm's length apart, his fist shot out in a pinpoint strike.

The gamble worked — Kyle had apparently been expecting Nova to defend against the first attack, and so had left Chaos wide open to the punch. The Angel had built up enough speed that it was nigh impossible to evade, and the best defense he could manage was to throw his arms up in an effort to minimize the damage. When the blow connected it sent Chaos tumbling, momentum still carrying the lower half of the Angel's body forward even as his upper body careened backwards. The Angel slid to a halt nearly a half foot behind Nova, as his Deus tried to recover from the failed charge. Jonathan smiled as Nova turned to continue the fight.

Chaos leapt to his feet, wheeling to face his opponent. Without missing a beat, he launched into a furious assault, aiming a variety of punches and kicks at Nova. On the defensive, the blue-and-white Angel slipped backwards out of range, as his Deus considered his strategy. _Chaos is all about offense_, Jonathan mused. _If I spend the entire fight defending, there's no way I can win, and he'll inevitably get a few lucky hits in… _He knew that if he tried to attack, he'd be leaving himself open to a counter…but there weren't too many options. _Hit first, and hit hardest_, was the conclusion he reached. His surprise attack had knocked off nearly a third of Chaos' damage bar; even partially blocked, it had been a potent strike. Now, he had to finish the fight, which was going to be quite a bit trickier.

_Wham!_ Chaos slipped through Nova's defense and nailed a powerful haymaker, sending him reeling. Jonathan realized he had let his attention slip; mentally berating himself, he refocused on the Layer. Seeing an opportunity, he struck back — after landing the blow, Chaos left himself open to Nova's retaliatory leg sweep that sent him sprawling onto the Layer.

Jonathan realized that this was probably the most important lesson he would learn from Kyle — _in a battle, you always have to be ready to act, or your opponent will act _for_ you._ It was simple, but he knew as soon as the realization hit him that it was probably the most important lesson he would learn about Angelic Layer.

Taking the idea to heart, Jonathan renewed his assault. Not wanting to give Chaos the chance to respond, he willed Nova into action. The Angel leapt into the air, aiming a devastating drop kick at his recovering opponent. The attack missed, but it forced Chaos to retreat as he leapt back. Nova wasted no time; as soon as he landed he was already moving into the next attack, launching towards the red-and-black Angel with arms moving at such speed it was difficult for even Jonathan's eyes to follow them. Chaos was forced on the defensive, edging back to avoid the flurry of punches Nova was directing towards him, while his Deus looked keenly for an opening to retaliate. Jonathan knew that sooner or later — probably sooner — Kyle would come up with a counter to Nova's frenzied assault, and that he would need to come up with an alternative tactic quickly. He cast around in his mind for any means possible to exploit his temporary advantage.

His first battle with Shadow was the first memory to surface. A technique he had tried with impressive results, even if the execution was somewhat less than perfect…

Nova leapt back, as if to give Chaos a temporary respite. As Jonathan expected, the opposing Angel immediately charged, taking advantage of the opening. Focusing the whole of his concentration on the task, Jonathan pictured in his mind exactly what he wanted Nova to do, and willed the Angel into action.

Nova leaned backwards, arching his body over until his arms touched the Layer's surface. In one smooth movement, the Angel's legs swept over his head, an almost-perfect backflip — and just as Chaos closed to striking range, finished their arc, striking him solidly on the chin, and sending him flying backwards. Jonathan was so elated at his improved execution of the technique that his concentration momentarily slipped again, so that instead of ending up on his feet, Nova actually rolled backwards about a foot and — once again — ended up on his back instead. Jonathan could actually feel his face redden as he willed Nova back to his feet to continue the battle — only to realize, belatedly, that the battle was already over. Combined with the damage his previous assault had inflicted, the blow had been a mortal one, Chaos' damage bar completely wiped out.

Jonathan removed his headset and wiped the sweat from his brow — the mental effort it took to control the Angel during battle was considerable, though he noted that his control had improved dramatically from his first days in Angelic Layer. He supposed that it would get easier with time, as the art of directing Nova became more instinctive. For the moment, though, he stood and walked around towards Matthew, Steven, and now Kyle, who had already retrieved both Chaos and Nova from the Layer and was offering Jonathan a friendly handshake.

"Well played, Jonathan. I recognized that last move you did — it's the same one you tried on Matt last week, isn't it?"

Jonathan accepted the handshake, and nodded in the affirmative. "I figured it was as good a shot as I was going to get. It _did_ work on Shadow, and guessed it was as likely to work on Chaos, especially since I haven't used it since that first time."

Kyle grinned sheepishly. "Doesn't help me that I ran Chaos right into it. Even after you started the backflip, it took me a second to realize what it was…too late, by then." He handed Nova to Jonathan, then turned to Matthew Lee. "I'd say he's got nothing to worry about. If he keeps fighting like that in the tourney, he'll do alright."

Steven was practically slack-jawed at the result of the battle, and even Matthew looked suitably impressed. "I might have to start putting in extra practice myself," he said, "if that was any indication of how fast you're learning. You might even have _me_ hard-pressed to take the top spot if you keep it up."

Kyle and Steven snorted in unison. "Confident, aren't we?" remarked the younger Lee.

"Of course," Matthew dryly replied. "I have _every_ intention of taking that first place trophy home with me this weekend. You are, of course, welcome to try and take it from me…though I'm fairly sure Shadow is up to the challenge." He arched an eyebrow at his younger brother. "In fact, would you like to try your hand right now? I'm in no hurry to leave…"

Steven blanched. "Ah, actually…oh, look at the time!" He made a display of looking at his watch, and grabbed his backpack from the chair. "I've got to get home for…um…dinner! Yeah, dinner! So, seeya Jon, Kyle!" He was quickly out the door, leaving the remaining audience to chuckle at his sudden departure.

"Some things never change," the elder Lee said with a mock sigh, and glanced down at his own watch. "Well, unless you've got anything for me, Jon, I'd hazard we've done enough for one day, wouldn't you say?"

Jonathan nodded, as he packed Nova carefully away in his backpack. He had won his first real battle today, hopefully the first of many. He had learned an important lesson that would serve him well in future matches. And, perhaps most telling that change was indeed in his future…he had made another new friend.

Before zipping his backpack closed, he looked at Nova once more. The Angel he had created to be his avatar on the Layer, an extension of his self… Jonathan smiled, both inwardly and out. _We have a bright future together, Nova. Let's show Matthew Lee that we're good enough to take that trophy from him, shall we?_

* * *

_Author's Notes:_

_Um…I don't really have a good excuse for how long it took to finish this chapter. (It took, what...two years to finish it?) Anyway, it's done, and I'm going to roll right into Chapter 9 on Monday, after I recover from TGS this weekend._

Next chapter: The inaugural San Diego Area Tournament begins!


End file.
